Photo: Shutterstock.com The State Commission on Judicial Conduct censured a local justice in Herkimer County on Wednesday for delaying a small claims proceeding and failing to record appearances in court, as required by law. John Skinner, a justice of the Columbia Town Court, delayed the hearing for more than a year and did not mechanically record court proceedings for more than eight years, according to the commission. Skinner is not an attorney. The first charge involved a small claims case filed in 2015, the decision said. One resident was seeking $3,000 for damage to his vehicle caused after he crashed into a pole to avoid hitting someone's dog, which had run into the road. The hearing date in the case was supposed to be on May 19, 2015. The hearing was not held until Sept. 27, 2016, after being adjourned at least three times. Skinner also failed to mechanically record any appearances in court from when he took office until May 2017. The rules of the court system require that every town and village justice mechanically record all proceedings in court. That rule has been in place since 2008. The decision said Skinner started recording proceedings after first being contacted by the commission last year. Commission Administrator Robert Tembeckjian said in a statement that he expects Skinner to correct his errors going forward. “A judge is obliged to maintain professional competence in the law and judicial administration so that, among other things, people with legal claims can have them heard and decided in a timely manner, and so that proper records are kept to facilitate appeal,” Tembeckjian said. “We believe that, going forward, Judge Skinner will avail himself of the resources made readily available by the court system to help town and village justices.” Skinner, who chose to represent himself in the matter, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. He has served as a justice of the Columbia Town Court since 2009. His current term expires at the end of 2020.